George m



iModel.)

G. M. WALDORP.

SPRING HINGE.

No. 889,865. Patented Sept.-18, 1888.

gum!" WITNESSES fl. M W

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE M. \VALDORF, OF FREEPORT, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO ROBERT H. \VILES,OF SAME PLACE.

SPRING-HINGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 389,865, datedSeptember 18, 1888.

Application filed December 2], 1885. Serial No.186,257. (Modeh) To allwhom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE M. WALDoEE, a resident of Freeport, in thecounty of Stephenson and State of Illinois,have invented cerrain new anduseful Improvements in Spring- Hinges; and Ido hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains tomake and use to the same.

My invention relates to improvements in spring-hinges, and is fullydescribed and explained in the following specification and shown in theaccompanying drawings, in

Figure 1 is a plan of a completed hinge; Fig. 2, a plan of theleaveswithout the spring; Fig. 3, a central vertical section of the leaves andspring -supporting centers and pintle;

2c Fig. 4, a crosssection of the leaves through the line a." y, Fig. 2,lookingin the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2; Fig. 5, asimilar view with the leaves fully opened; Fig. 6, a central verticalsection of a different form from that shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 7, a centrallongitudinal section of a spring-center to be substituted for that shownin Fig. 6; Fig. 8, an internal end view of a leaf slightly differentfrom that shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

In the views, A A are the leaves of a surface-hinge, the leaf A havingtwo ears, B F, and the leaf A having three ears, 0 E G. The ear B has ashort pintle, l, which enters a socket in the ear (3, and the ear F liesbetween 5 the ears E G, and is slotted below to receivea pintle, N,which connects the ears E G. This arrangement of the cars is notessential,though it is aconvenient form,sincc it makes the hinge rightor left hand. The only essential feature 0 of the arrangement of thecars is, that the two innermost ears, E B, shall be one fastened to oneof the leaves and the other to the other leaf, since thespring-supporting devices must engage with ears fastened to both leaves,as is hereinafter explained. On the leaf A, and at one end thereof, isformed integrally a loop or rod, I, and at the opposite end of the otherleaf is an integrally-formed pin, K. The form of these rods or pins isnot essential; but it is convenient to make one of them a pin instead ofa'closed loop, in order to connect the spring more readily.

In the inner face of each of the ears B E is formed a recess, M, Fig. 8,Whose inner end is a circle concentric with the ear, (or with the axisof the hinge-joint,) while the body of the recess extends from thecenter of the ear outward toward the body of the leaf on which therecess is formed, and preferably in a general direction nearly parallelto the base of the leaf. The upper face, 0, of the recess is the workingsurface thereof, and the form of the lower surface is unimportant. Itmay, in fact, be cut away entirely, leaving the upper surface of therecess and the ends thereof in the same positions shown in Fig. 8, butremoving the metal from the bottom of the recess to the bottom of theear, thus forming the open recess M. (Shown in Figs. 4 and 5.)

Between the ears B E, and preferably in line therewith, is a coiledspring, J, Figs. 1 and 5, provided at its ends with hooks J which engagethe pins 1 K. In the ends of the coil are flanged buttons or centers,adapted to hold it in place, and from the centers of these buttonsproject pins or lugs, which engage with the surfaces 0 of the recessesM. These supporting-buttons may be of different forms; but they alloperate in substantially the same Way. Fig. 3 shows a form which may beused with the open recesses M. (Shown in'Figs. 4 and 5.) In this formasingle pintle, Z, extends through both the buttons '6 t" andinto thetwo recesses M, the ends of the pintle beingin contact with the surfaces0 of the recesses. Figs. 8 5 6 and 7 show two forms which may be usedwith the recess M. (Shown in Fig. 8.) In the form shown in Fig. 6, thebuttons or centers 1) b have gudgeons Q formed on their outer ends, andthese gudgeons enter the recess M, and the inner end of one of thebuttons is provided with a socket, d, and the inner end of the otherwith a pin, a, which enters the socket (Z. By means of this arrangementthe two buttons may be pressed together sufficiently to permit theadmission of the gudgeons Q to the recess M. In the form shown in Fig. 7the same result is attained by forming gudgeons Q on the enter faces andsockets I in the inner faces of the two buttons t i, and connecting thetwo buttons by a pintle, Z, of such length as to permit the pressingtogether of the two buttons.

In all these forms the operation is the same. The central projections onthe outer ends of the buttons enter the recesses M of the two cars B E,while the hooks on the ends of the spring engage the pins I K; and sincethe hook at either end of the spring presses inward against the pinwhich it engages, the central projection of the corresponding button ispressed outward in a direction opposite to the direction in whichthehook presses against the pin. Thus, in Fig. 8, the hook J pressesinward on the pin I and the gudgeon Q is p ressed in the oppositedirection and lies at the inner end of the slot M-that is, at the centerof the circular ear I The same thing is true ofFig. 4. The hook of thespring must press inward against the pin I, and press the pintle Zagainst thcinner end of the surface 0. In other words, as long as thehinge is closed, the projections at the centers of the buttons willremain at the centers of the ears B E; and it is evident that if theleaf A be rotated from the position shown in Fig. at toward the positionshown in Fig. 5 the pintle Z will maintain its position at the center ofthe car 13 until the surface 0 of the recess M reaches such a positionas to allow the pintle to slide from its inner toward its outer end.Solong as the pin tle remains at the center the spring will exert aconstantly'increasing closing force on the hinge. \Vhen the pintlebegins to slide along the surface 0, away from the center, the closingforce will diminish or disappear, and when the 1ea'l' A reaches theposition shown in Fig.

5 and the pintle reaches the outer end of the face 0 the hinge will beheld open.

It is evident that the forms shown may be variously modified withoutaltering the pr neiple of operation of the hinge; but I have 1ndicatedwhat I consider the most satisfactory forms.

Having now described and explained my in vcntiou, what I claim as new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a springhinge, the combination, with two leaves of suitable formhaving ears connected to form hinge-joints, of a coiled spring hooked atits opposite ends to said leaves, and pins projecting from the ends ofthe cell and entering recesses in said cars, the working faces of saidrecesses being cams adapted to permit the shifting of said pins withreference to the axis of the hinge, substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

2. The combination of the leaves A A, having pins I K, and ears B E,having recesses M, the spring J, having hooks .T, engaging the pins I K,and the buttons 71 i, having central projections entering the grooves M,substantially as shown and described.

The combination of the spring J, having hooks J, the buttons '5 2',having gudgeons Q and sockets P, and the pintle Z, entering the socketsP, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo SllbSCllbing witnesses.

GEORGE M. XVALDORF.

IVitnesses:

F. W. BRAINERD, J. A. GRAIN.

